The Social Net…Works!
Hello again. As promised, I’m back to tell you a little bit more about Tara Markus. One of the words I selected this time was SOCIAL. Please read on to discover my meaning behind this selection. And, as always, I hope you find meaning for yourself.
Social is such a friendly word. Just pause and think about it for a minute…..hmm. Ah yes, there it is.
Well? What have you come up with? Are you remembering a social time in your life? A time when people were around you, smiling faces, perhaps the sound of laughter.
Now, let’s use the word in a sentence … “He’s a very social chap!” or “I’m having a Social next Sunday, will you come?” Adjective or noun, it doesn’t matter, I like this word.
Next, let’s take our word on road-trip across the country; together of course – very social. Travel East, to a point where you almost run out of road (Halifax), and a word often heard in pubs and music halls is “SOCIABLE”! That’s right, Haligonians have made a flag-waving cheer out of this word. Just walk into The Seahorse Tavern on Argyle Street and it won’t take long before someone, anyone, shouts out, “SOCIABLE”. At this point, everyone in the saloon grabs up their drink and, altogether, shouts back, ‘SOCIABLE”! Then, you swig, or sip, and return to your chat-a-chat. What a wonderful practice. Made possible by the very friendly word, “Social”.
Without a doubt, the word ‘social’ travels well. Doesn’t wrinkle, even fresh out of the suitcase. Just like people who are social; clear, smooth skin, except for the laugh lines around their eyes. Social people are in the mix, they make the connections because they’re eager to share and willing to listen. They’re consensus builders. They don’t want the whole pie because, to them, talking about the flaky crust is as important as eating it. This is Tara, very, very social. She would be a finalist in Canada’s Most Social. Early on, there were signs. Our first apartment together, by way of example, was very small; cozy for two but too tight for more. But never the matter for a social person, just move the furniture outside and invite the gang over (Strangely, it never rained). A few years later, our son’s Christening turned into a backyard summertime Social that had the neighbours grinning for months. That’s right – Christening – you did read correctly. Our dear sweet baby was put to bed so the adults in his life could carry on with singing and dancing under July’s Hay Moon. Lanterns were lit, balancing toy bears wheeled across invisible cables, and musical tunes wafted on the summer breeze. In this house, every occasion is an opportunity to get together, play together and stay together, for as long as the bylaw parking codes will allow.
I can take some of the credit for this, but the grand architect of these social encounters has been my wife Tara. Perhaps it’s her Caribbean island heritage.
BRIEF ASIDE: Did you know that it is not uncommon in Barbados for two passing cars to “stop-up”, side-by-side in the street, so the passengers can have a social chat. You hear out the window, “Auntie, ho’ it go’in, nuh?” And, most amazingly, the boxed-up traffic behind doesn’t seem to mind. You don’t hear horns, or shouts of anger, just patient silence as people wait for thissocial connection to pass its course.
People born of this culture, it seems to me, understand and value the importance of “Social”. For herself, Tara was raised on the words, “Not one without the other”. She was taught from young that our ‘connections’ with one-another are more important than gold, and, what will comfort you at “The End”, will be the smiles and laughter along the way, not the platinum watch or big screen TV. And if this is true, as Tara believes it to be, we would all do well to pause more frequently, smile more often and work a little harder to build the social connections that form the foundation of our content.
David,
A wonderful description of the “social” Tara you have known so well from the very minute you both first met at the bike shop years ago, that instantly changed your lives and eventually brought forth your blessed son. Tara is certainly the colorful, expressive, not shy, “butterfly” of your magical couple hood, with all her fabulous “Tara-energy” to fill the hearts and minds of all within hearing/seeing distance as she continuously brings forth powerful positive feelings with her ideas, enthusiasm, AND genuine love for others (not to mention her delicious fab-smoothies to create the perfect milieu for a great spontaneous chat!)
And while you are different, being more grounded and quiet with your emotions, more prone to ponder, reflect, even perhaps move into some introversion at times, you offer a superb balance to this energetic butterfly-partner as one who walks faithfully with her along your mutually shared career-life journey, almost as this wise caterpillar who shares some magical common genes that bind you both. You seem to gently weave throughout her vibrant expressiveness, your own valuable perspectives that somehow blend your common core of integrity and “right” values that creates a safe space for openness, trust, integrity, and authenticity, an important milieu that can facilitate effective parenting efforts, and your own important work as a caring and insightful elementary school teacher as you shape young hearts and minds to believe in themselves and their uniqueness to make a difference in our world.
Thanks David, for your sharing about your beautiful butterfly:) EdC ps We need to get you a Twitter account!